Welcome to Wonderland
by AwkwardImagination
Summary: The fact that the dead are walking around is hard for anyone, but what if you crashed and didn't remember a thing? Luckily Curious found Sophia and now has found The Group but can you make your place when you're still learning everything again? DarylxOC (T for now but it could go up later)
1. Chapter 1

Daryl was adamant that he was going to find Sophia. He just couldn't believe the nerve of some people. Sophias own _mother_. He was going to find her and show them all wrong.

He walked through the forest, his senses on high alert and not only to search for signs of Sophia. There had been more Walkers in the woods surrounding the farm than when he'd first arrived, but he didn't feel the need to tell anyone other than Rick. It's not as if anyone other than him wondered through these woods.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Walker. He assumed it was once a woman but as he slammed the knife into the top of her skull he didn't want to think about it. The spared a moment to look down at the properly dead walked before he continued with his search.

Insert page break

"Sh," she hushed the young girl beside her as they ducked behind a large rock, watching the rugged hunter cram his knife into the Walkers skull. She saw look of sadness which passed after a moment, as he carried on.

"He was in the group. He knows my Mama," Sophia whispered beside her and she felt torn. Did she really want to just hand the small girl over to the rugged hunter?

"Of course not," she whispered to herself before biting her tongue. Now was not the time to break, not when she had Sophia to take care off. But then the selfish part of her screamed in protest. She couldn't survive in this world by herself, but she knew what she had to do. Sophia knew who she was, she needed her Mam.

"Stay here," she whispered into Sophias ear, shifting into a crouch as she did so. "I'm just going to go and disarm him okay? I know you said he was with your group but remember James?" She hated to bring him up, to trigger the memories of him with the shotgun. Placing it on the back of little Jessies head... She snapped herself out of her thoughts and leaped forwards. Thanking the lord for the element of surprise.

She let her body relax and slip into the training that she knew. She flung herself onto him, her small frame not mattering as she let her elbow snap on the side of his head. The connection sent a sharp pain radiate from her elbow to fingers,

"Get offa me," he snarled, his spare hand grabbing onto her forearm and flinging her off him with more force than he meant too, and her head made a sickening crunch as it connected to the floor.

The last thing she heard as she sunk into unconsciousness was the hunter muttering 'oh shit' and Sophia screaming her name.

Insert page break

The first thing she noticed when consciousness came back to her was that she was in a bed. Not a half hearted pile of sleeping bags piled on top of one and other, but an actual bed. With blankets and pillows and everything. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the hunter standing in the doorframe still with his crossbow in his arms. She glanced up at the woman who was softly cleaning her face with a brown rag that had probably started out as white.

"Where's Sophia?" She moaned, letting her eyes close again.

"She's safe, with her Mom. Won't talk until she sees you though," the woman said kindly.

She opened her eyes again and glanced up at the woman with short brown hair and grabbed her wrist, and she assumed form the way she raised her eyebrows that wasn't what she was expected, that or it was the intensity plastered all over her face.

"Do you know who I am?" She snarled, tightening her grip on her wrist as she leant forwards, her face warping into a scowl.

"No," the woman answered hesitantly and as soon as she did so she pulled her hand back.

"Me neither. I'm Curious, who're you?" She broke into a wide unsettling grin.

"I'm going to get Rick," he hunter said and then silence ensued.

**Woo for kind of lame endings but I couldn't decide how to end it properly I'm sorry! **

**So yeah this is another of my Daryl and OC fics, and in case you've noticed I'm at a writing block with nearly all of my stories (I'm going to blame exam pressure here) but this idea was floating around, so here you go! **

**Please review, let me know what you like/don't like you know how it works. But yeah, thank you! **


	2. Little Of Nothing

**I'm sorry for the delay of this story, i've been revising like crazy for seven exams but yeah – only one left so I'm updating all my stories! **

**Thank you for all of you who followed & whatnot but please review because it'll make my day (you sweethearts) **

**Anyway, yes, please let me know if you enjoy! **

Daryl returned to his place at the door as Rick came in with Hershel in tow. He quickly settled his eyes on Curious, content to know that he'd be able to tell if she was lying, But it was something – something in how relaxed she was or the fresh look in her eyes which he hadn't seen since the world went to shit that made him thing that she was indeed being truthful.

"Hey there, my names Rick and you are?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips, a small smile on his face as he looked down at her, Hershel laying the doctors equipment out beside her.

"My names Curious," she smiled innocently. A large grin on her face as she looked down at Hershel who was sitting on one of the old wooden chairs beside her bed.

"Who're you?" she asked bluntly looking at him, curiosity passing her face as she stared at his tools.

"My names Hershel and this is my farm here," he sad, Daryl was sure that he wanted to be stern but her innocence and peaceful state had thrown them al out of sync.

"It's a nice farm. And this is a house isn't it. I've never stayed inside a house before. That I can remember anyway," she smiled brightly as if the truth of what she said didn't bother her at all.

"What do you remember?" Rick asked her, his tone softer now as all three of them began to think that she wasn't lying.

"Well I get a bit jumbled," she began. "I remember ice-cream, especially chocolate which as to be an old memory, as well as uhm, I think they're called concerts. As well as fields," her face brightened as she continued and Daryl was sure that if she didn't stop soon she'd be bouncing up and down on the bed from excitement. "And Daryl," she grinned, before her smile slid into a frown. Her eyebrows knitting together as she began to tap on the side of her head rapidly as her head twitched, her hair flying over her shoulder. "No wait, that's new. Isn't it? New not old," he began to mutter to herself, her frown becoming more prominent as she carried on muttering under her breath quiet enough that Daryl couldn't hear.

"Sorry," she said, the bright smile back onto her face within seconds. "I did say I get a bit jumbled. Old and new blurring together, I forget a lot too," she chuckled and pushed her hair out of her face and faced Hershel again. "You're a doctor aren't you? I think I've been to a doctor before, do you know who I am?" She asked, smiling widely.

"I'm afraid I don't dear," Hershel said pity clouding his face as he looked at her slumped shoulders.

"Oh well," she grinned up at Rick. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. We spoke to Sophia, who's okay," he added hurriedly as she began to jump out of bed. "And she said your friendly. But that your group was attacked."

"Yes," Curious nodded. "He was staying with us – a friend. But he went crazy and just shot at us. The sound drew the Walkers, and I'm pretty sure me and Sophia were the only ones to get away," she shrugged her shoulders. "That's just the way of the world."

"Well Curious," Rick said after a pause, unnerved slightly at her unwavering smile. As Hershel nodded, all the while her and Rick had been talking he'd been checking her heartbeat and blood pressure as well as the angry red gash on her head. "You're welcome to stay here for a while, seeing as you helped find Sophia. And if you want you don't have to tell the group of your memory loss. We could give you a different name – like Emma?"

Curious seemed to entertain the notion for a moment before she smiled once again at Rick. "I don't think I could do that. I'd forget my other name and just tell people I'm Curious. I'm sure I'll remember my real name eventually but until then Curious is fine."

"Wha' kind of a name is Curious though?" Daryl snorted, slouching against the door frame.

"What kind of a name is Daryl," she shot back. "Curious is the only name I know. And from what they said to me it's also a pretty accurate description."

Daryl couldn't help but to smile slightly and nod, before following Rick and Hershel out of the room.

Insert break in page here

"Hey," Curious heard a voice say, accompanied by a small knock at the door as soon as she'd finished eating. "My dad said you can have a shower, and borrow these clothes while we wash them." She smiled, handing Curious a pair of pale blue jeans and a white tank top.

"Thank you. My names Curious," she grinned holding out her hand.

"Beth," she replied, shaking her hand with a small smile.

"What's a shower Beth?" Curious asked as she clambered out of bed, clutching the clothes as she followed her out of the bathroom.

"You don't -" she began but cut herself off. "It's like standing naked in warm rain, with soap and stuff." She tried to explain it as simply as she could and judging by the excited expression on Curious' face she succeeded.

"Is it hard?" Beth asked quietly, but the curiosity was eating away at her thoughts to the extent that she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth.

"Is what hard?" she asked, thanking Beth for the hair grip as she pulled her hair into a pony tail as steam filled the pale blue bathroom.

"Not remembering things before this?"

"Uhm," Curious muttered, silent for a moment before she spoke. "I don't know. There was a guy in the group I was with before, his name was Cane. And he said what helped him to go to sleep was remembering his family and life before this – he said it helped to keep away the nightmares. But then I don't think my nightmares are as bad as everyone else's because I don't know. This is my life, the dead walking, sleeping in tents, stealing food – it's just my life. And I don't know, I can't think what I'd do if I remembered my family and stuff," she shrugged nonchalantly, before Beth excused herself after giving Curious a tight hug. Leaving Curious to enjoy a shower, which indeed she did.

She thought that the muscles in her shoulder and back were supposed to feel like that – unaware that they were knotted.

And she had no idea that her hair could be so soft or that apples didn't always smell rotted.

And as she thought about it, as the tears slid down her cheeks – she didn't know anything at all.


	3. Curiouser and Curioser

Curious emerged from her shower a little while later, gratefully taking the hair band from Beth. Pulling her still dripping hair into a loose ponytail. Stepping out the door behind Rick which a wide grin, she enjoyed the cool breeze which felt as if it was embracing her.

"Thank you so much. Thank you for keeping her safe," Curious heard a woman call out, rushing up the stairs with Sophia in tow.

"Not a problem, she was a delight," Curious replied, disliking the group which was now crowding around her with a look that Curious had come to know as pity. She lifted her head up and saw Daryl at the back of the group. His piercing blue eyes on her, a small smirk playing on his features as he watched her squirm under the praise from Carol and the fact she was surrounded.

A few minutes later, and after the awkward introductions in which she had to explain each time that yes her name really was Curious and no she didn't remember anything before the walking dead she was ready to go. It wasn't that she hated these people – hell they were nice but she missed Jefferson. She missed the quiet, the sounds of the forest were always able to sooth her when she had an episode.

"Ah, and this is my wife Lori and my best friend Shane," Rick smiled at her, and Curious found his smile infectious as he looked at his wife with obvious love. Curious wondered idly if Rick could see the tension between his wife and best friend or if he just chose to ignore it. Curious shrugged and kept quiet – perhaps this is just how best friends and wives acted? Who knew.

An expectant look from Lori pulled Curious from her senses and she wondered if she'd been muttering to herself, she probably had but seeing as muttering to herself was the least of Curious' problems she ignored it and extended a hand to Lori.

"Pleasure to meet you," Curious broke into a wide grin, one she knew usually unsettled people but there was something about Lori and Shane, it was the tension, the _lies_. Curious liked Rick, he accepted her and wasn't as cruel as the leader of the old group and she was fiercely protective.

Lori gingerly accepted Curious hand but pulled it back quickly, as if she was afraid to get infected, which made Curious smile wider. "I hear you kept Sophia safe." Lori said platonically as Rick and Shane argued in hushed tones behind her. Curious wondered if Lori was intentionally trying to mimic her smile or if it was an accident, but either way she decided that it proved the woman in front of her was wrong. Curious liked to believe that you could tell a lot about a person from their smile, even a fake one and Lori was someone she didn't like the look of at all.

"She shouldn't even be here," Shane finally exploded. "She could be dangerous," he yelled, gesturing at Curious. She automatically noted a violent undertone to his actions, as if instead of yelling he'd rather be beating her senseless. Lori obviously noticed this too as she moved to the side, although Curious stayed where she was, sitting Indian style on the ground.

"We know nothing about her Rick. She knows nothing about herself. Okay so she kept Sophia alive for a while but fuck knows what she'll do when we turn our backs." Shane finished angrily and Rick began to murmur quietly, reasoning with him Curious hoped.

She glanced over the fire and saw Glenn smiling apologetically at her, she grinned back and looked up at the two men fighting in hushed tones.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Curious said softly, but drawing their attention none the less. "I have no reason too. You can believe me or not," she continued, cutting Shane off when he opened his mouth to retaliate. "But I don't care because the decision isn't yours and I have no idea why you don't like me."

"Because you're dangerous and useless," Shane spat out, causing Curious to arch an eyebrow which was the only sign she gave that he was pushing her to the end of her tether. "You can't even remember your name how can you help us, other than being another mouth to feed," he growled, his tone and this body language made Curious snap. She was vaguely aware of the whole group staring at her and Shanes confrontation and this wasn't really how she wanted her first day to go, but she wasn't just a doormat, and Shane was just being a _prick. _

"Listen here you little shit," she said, squaring up to him. Curious barely reached his chin but that didn't stop her from glaring up at him. "Right this second I can think of at least four ways to kill you without a weapon, which makes me possibly the most valuable fighter here because you're all bound on the fact the Walkers were humans, or you can't kill the bitten until they die. This is all I know and fuck you because I am good at it so don't you dare talk to me like that," she retaliated. Her hands were curled into fists at her side, her knuckles turning white.

Curious didn't know how long her and Shane glared at each other, she could feel everyones eyes on the pair of them. She could vaguely here Sophia's giggle, with Sophia being quiet used to her outbursts as they were far and few in-between, but she was no longer scared by them.

Out of know where she felt someones hand wrap softly around her wrist, and much to her surprise as she spun around, prepared to attack she noticed that it was Daryl. She lowered her guard slightly and allowed her to be towed away, his hand still softly holding onto her wrist as he led her to his tent with quiet murmurs to ignore the asshole, formally known as Shane.

She settled herself and gratefully accepted the food which Daryl had brought over for her.

"You're welcome to sleep over here tonight if you want too. I mean we can share a tent and everything. Better then being over there and fighting with Shane, 'cause then Olive Oil will want you out too," Daryl said quietly once they'd finished eating in comfortable silence.

As soon as the words escaped Daryls lips he could see her whole demeanour change. Her shoulders slumped forwards and the small grin which she always held on her lips visibly slid off and it looked as if she was thoroughly chewing on the inside of her cheek. Daryl was just about to open his mouth to change his mind when Curious spoke up, glancing up at the darkening sky.

"Sure thing, shall we go to sleep now? I'll assume everyone is up early," she said, only waiting for Daryl to nod slightly before she ducked into his tent.

Daryl sat for a few moments, looking at the entrance to the tent although his mind had drifted. He wondered what had made her change so obviously.

Daryl pushed the thoughts out of his head, hearing Merle tease him for being a pussy, why should he care. For tonight at least it was easier to have her in his tent, to stop the arguments.

He ducked into the tent and couldn't believe the sight in front of him. It was Curious, her blond hair had been pulled out from the pony tail and was how hanging over her shoulders, barely reaching her collar bones. She was sitting in the middle of the tent on her knees, only clad in a small pair of panties and Daryl opened and closed his mouth several times before he could get any words out, but in those few seconds he couldn't stop his eyes from raking over her body. Her breasts weren't the largest he'd ever seen but they were a small handful and still perk, every inch of her body from the top of her breasts down seem to be either dotted with tattoos, scars or angry red cuts. He glanced up at her face and saw a glazed look covering her eyes.

"Wha' the fuck you think you're doin'?" Daryl snapped at her, finally remembering how to talk.

He watched the glazed look leave Curious' eyes and a confused one replace it. "That's what I have to do isn't it? So I can stay?"

Daryl tried to keep the disgust off his features, worried that Curious believed it'd be directed at her but instead he wanted to rip the heads of all the men who forced themselves on her.

Daryl bent down at scooped up a shirt which he believed was mostly clean, desperately trying to advert his eyes as he spoke, already feeling terrible for staring at her barely clad body.

"No, that's not how it works. Not here… those men what they did were wrong, they shouldn't have taken advantage of you Curious," he said honestly as he tossed her the top.

Silence ensued for a few minutes until Curious spoke up, settling herself down in a little pile of blankets and pillows on the other side of the tent to Daryl's sleeping bag.

"I'm sorry," she muttered before telling him he could turn around.

"You ain't got nothing to be sorry 'bout," he muttered before undressing and slipping into bed himself.

"Is it really not normal then? I'm not weird because it," she hesitated, the tears evident in her voice although Daryl decided to not comment because not only did he not know how to deal with a crying woman but because she sounded as if she was desperately trying to keep the tears out of it. The word she finally managed to choke out however made Daryls blood run cold. "Hurt."

"No," Daryl answered quickly. "Those men were assholes and if I ever see 'em I'll kill 'em." He said, turning so he could face Curious, the faint light which worked its way into the tent hopefully showing her how serious he was.

"I'll beat you too it," she smiled weakly. "Does that mean I'd be able to hunt?" she asked softly, burrowing under the covers slightly as if she was scared of a hit to come out of nowhere. Daryl wondered idly how Curious could be so confident outside of the tent – in front of everyone but so meek in front of him alone. As he mulled the thought in his head he resigned himself to ask her when they were in the peace and quiet of the woods tomorrow, where he'd also be able to test out her hunting skills.

"Yeah. Sure thing," Daryl yawned before his eyes gave into the tiredness.

**I have no reviews for this story which sucks because I really enjoy writing this story so yeah please review and stuff and let me know what you think (it'll make me update quicker!)**

**Which brings me onto another topic I am so sorry for not updating forever, but school and sickness in the family and urgh but things seem to be getting better and yeah **

**Hope you enjoyed, I promise to update again soon! **


End file.
